Compared to traditional on-premise computing environments, cloud computing environments have relatively dynamic compute resources, such as servers and switches. As servers are provisioned, switches become part of the information technology (IT) environment. As servers are decommissioned, so are the switches. Providing reliable managed IT services in such a dynamic environment poses unique challenges compared to traditional, static IT environments.
Traditional IT environments typically have a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that serves as a system of record for services and assets being supported by various service providers. Through change management processes and service tickets, assets are added and removed from the CMDB. Device identity properties such as hostname and IP address are typically known in advance of device deployment and are part of the change record.